Atlanta City Council Post 3 At-Large Race Headed to Runoff
The race to fill Atlanta City Council's post-3 at-large vacancy is headed to a runoff election between civil rights attorney Eshé Collins and business owner Nicole Evans Jones.
Community activist Duvwon Robinson, Black Futurists Group founder Devin Barrington-Ward, and business owner Amber Higgins-Connor were also vying to fill the remainder of former council member Keisha Sean Waites' term on the city council.
None of the candidates received the required more than 50% of votes needed to legally win the race outright, so a runoff between Evans Jones and Collins — the two majority vote-getters — will take place on Dec. 3.
Evans Jones received 40.05% of votes cast during the general election, while Collins received 24.48% of votes. Barrington-Ward received 13.41% of votes cast, Higgins-Connor received 15.29%, and Robinson received 6.76%.
Whoever wins the race will take office in January before running for reelection again next fall.
Increasing Atlanta's supply of affordable housing , battling homelessness, and addressing public safety concerns are three of the major issues with which city council members must contend next year.
Black Atlantans being priced out of their rental homes has fueled a rise in the city's homeless population for the last two years in a row, according to Partners for HOME, the nonprofit that conducts Atlanta's annual point-in-time homeless census count.
The city saw a 7% surge in its homeless population in January after it skyrocketed 33% a year prior, according to the group's latest annual report, which noted overall homelessness is down 30% from where it was in 2016.
Black people made up 86% of Atlanta residents living on the streets, in shelters, or in temporary housing this year, a 3 percentage-point rise from 2023, researchers found.
Atlanta City Council has 16 total seats . Waites vacated her seat earlier this year after launching a failed bid to serve as Fulton County clerk.
Evans Jones wants to improve transportation equity and increase "attainable" housing in addition to promoting safe neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Collins is focused on increasing economic opportunities for legacy residents, lowering the city's rising cost of living, and holding elected leaders accountable.
